Currently sitting in an airport, probably a little later typing than I would’ve liked, but MAN, we had a packed weekend in Baltimore with tons of Orioles Magic! Two wins (watching a probable third right now) which was good for their seventh straight. In NASCAR, have we even seen back-to-back Wins this year? I don’t believe so. Could it happen this week?
Here’s what to look for:
–Chase Elliott will start 1st by virtue of Qualifying being rained out and being at the top of the Standings. This is his track to Win at, inheriting his father’s mantle. He was a co-favorite to take the checkers, and starting 1st is literally the best you can begin.
–Ross Chastain wasn’t that co-favorite, but he’s been good all year long, has multiple Wins, and will start right alongside. Last week we saw Elliott lead most of the race before being passed by Tyler Reddick at the end. Could Chastain offer a similar scenario? We’ll have a green racetrack, so there is a lot that remains to be seen.
–Kurt Busch won this race in a bit of a surprise, and in Week 21, too. That was a big Wild Card, very close to the Playoffs but enough to get him in. Can he perform similarly this time around?
–William Byron won the Spring race earlier this year after leading 111 laps. The reconfiguration drastically sped up an already fast surface and left it a little like Talladega. That was one of Byron’s two Wins this year, look for him to be up there again.
–Martin Truex Jr. is still the best over the last ten races here, a 7.4 average, and his worst performance over the last nine races here is a 9th. Quite a string of Top 10s for Truex, can he keep the streak alive?
Coverage of the race starts on USA at 3:00pm, green flag scheduled for 3:03pm.
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